Does anyone know if the 2 for 1 attractions special offered through the rail system is extended into the summer time? The current promotion runs to 31 May. I'm holding out on buying a pass if I find there will be better offers out there. Thanks, Susan

It's always worth keeping an eye on the www.nationalrail.co.uk website to see if it gets extended. I use that site a fair bit and try and remember to post a link here if the offer gets extended.

To be honest, it's a bit doubtful they will extend it through the summer months because they get enough visitors anyway at that time of year. In fact in previous years, I'm not sure they've even extended it as far as May.

Thanks, Dave. It makes sense that it wouldn't be offered through the summer but I didn't want to buy a London Pass and then see it offered! Susan

You might not want to buy a London Pass, anyway. Most visitors find that it's not a good value, mostly because so many of the museums and other attractions are free. Try a search for past threads about the London Pass. Anyway, you can buy them in London, so don't rush to your decision, plan your itinerary and see how the value works out for you.

I agree whole heartedly w/ anonymous. The London Pass is not much of a bargain for the VAST majority of visitors. There are so many free an/or inexpensive sites in London. And whatever you do, do not buy the London Pass transport option. It does not provide any savings over what can be bought in London - and there are specialy-priced transport passes available only in London.

Thanks, everyone. I was planning on buying a week pass for the tube (not part of the transport package with the London Pass). I know I can buy combination tickets to some attractions which will save money. Oh, speaking of the tube. If I just buy for zones 1 and 2, can I add on to it when I go to Wimbledon which is outside those zones? I'd hate to buy a 6 zone pass when I'm only going to Wimbledon for 2 days. Do you just put your card in a machine and it tells you what you must pay in addition? Susan

Yes, you can buy an extension if you plan to travel beyond the zones your pass was bought for.

You might just need a pass for Zone 1, which costs £3 less than the 7-day pass for Zones 1&2, since the only popular tourist destinations in Zone 2 are the zoo and Greenwich.

You must purchase the extension at the station where you board the train, not where you arrive, as there's a substantial penalty (£10?) for arriving in a zone your pass doesn't include.

Thanks for the tube info, anonymous. We're staying in Kensington so I guess zone 1 should work fine. I know I have to buy a different train ticket to go out to Hampton Court. susan

samejia: No, you don't need a "different" ticket to go to Hampton Court Palace. HCP is in zone 6 so you'd just pay a small supplement to your zone 1 pass. It will end up w/ you carrying your pass and the supplement ticket - but you don't need to buy a full ticket to HCP.

Thanks, Janis. Are you suggesting that I hold off on buying the tube pass until I arrive in London? You mentioned that there are specially priced transport tickets only available in London. Is that different from buying the passes on line? Susan

You can buy 7-day travelcards in advance ("visitors travelcards&quot or in London at any tube station. The price for a card for Zones 1 and 2 is about the same either way (£19.80 vs £20.20), but in London you can also get a card just for Zone 1 for £17.

Visitors travelcards are also available for 2, 3, or 4 days, whereas the London-bought cards are available for 7 days, 1 day (peak or cheaper off-peak) and weekend.

Visitors travelcards may be ordered directly from ticket-on-lne for no additional shipping cost (sorry about the size of the link):

http://www.ticket-on-line.com/cgi-bi...te=info_prices

Basic info about London purchases:

http://www.transportforlondon.gov.uk...velcards.shtml

Anonymous, thanks so much for the useful info. I know I have to get supplements to travel to Hampton Court (1 day) and Wimbledon (2 days) but I imagine that's still cheaper than buying a 6 zone card. Susan

Check out www.discount-london for great deals on attractions in London

Thanks for the tip, Hospitality. Susan

Susan,

Don't get fooled by "Hospitality's" lead to look at that website. It's just a bunch of tours, not unlike the tours that are offered on the website from which Hospitality is posting -- hospitalityline.co.uk.

This forum is not meant to be used for advertising.

Susan

I agree w/ baeealirgirl. "Hospitality" has posted the same info on four different threads (and those are the only posts he has ever made). This is obviously advertising for a fairly lame website.